Gravity
by TheRedByakugan
Summary: After she saved the only thing he held dear, Uchiha Sasuke must repay her. New to this type of debt, he needs her guidance to learn about kindness. After many strange incidents, Hyuga Hinata assigns his first step to repay her: "Hide me."
1. Prologue

"Please wait in the seats over there," the woman at the desk pointed behind them. "Tsunade has ordered that Mr. Uchiha's room may not be open to visitors until she has returned to the lobby."

"Thank you," Sakura smiled, obediently heading toward the chairs.

"Hey," Naruto leaned over the lady's desk, "I heard some rumors that he's sharing a room with a girl."

Sakura froze in mid step, gripping the flowers in her arms tighter against her chest.

"Yes," the woman answered. "The young lady was the one who had brought him in."

"Do you know who it is?" Naruto asked.

"Let me see," she thumbed through some files on her desk. Her finger stopped on a page and she frowned at it for a long moment before looking up at Naruto's eager face once more. "For some odd reason her name is not filed."

"That's weird," Naruto frowned. "Well," he paused, standing straight up now, instead of leaning carelessly too close to the woman's personal space, "do you know what she looks like?"

"Well," the woman tapped her chin with her index finger to think, "I remember slightly that she had long hair. Either it was black or just muddy. I'm not sure, because they were both very dirty." She paused before a long moment before her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Oh, but I did see her eyes! The night she came in," now she leaned over the desk, beginning to whisper, "she had a purple Sharingan in _both_ eyes."

"A purple Sharingan?" Sakura repeated quietly to herself, her face growing pale.

"The girl had Mr. Uchiha on her back and they were both hurt tremendously. Every injury was noticeable, because of how she favored a leg and leaned all of his weight on one shoulder rather than both. We offered a stretcher, but she refused to put him down. She insisted to bring him to the room as if she didn't trust us! She was _very_ strong. That is, until…"

"Until…?" Naruto breathed, infatuated.

"As soon as she laid Mr. Uchiha's body down on the bed, she collapsed, no breathing, no heartbeat, _nothing_."

Naruto's mouth was gaping. "Is she okay?"

"No one knows," the woman leaned back into her chair. "That's why no one is allowed to enter Mr. Uchiha's room. Tsunade is trying to heal her."

Now Sakura was facing the woman as well, gaping just as bad as Naruto. The two teammates looked at each other with sympathy and worry in their eyes.

Naruto looked back at the woman. "But Sasuke _is_ fine, right?" he asked quickly, both of them waiting impatiently for her answer.

She opened her mouth to respond, but another voice boomed from the hallway on their right. "He is immobile," the voice announced, "but conscious. He can't speak or move, but he can hear."

Tsunade walked slowly out of the hallway. Her hair was pulled into a bun and her face was drenched with sweat.

"And the girl?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade glared at the woman, who attached herself back to the files on her desk, self consciously finishing up the paperwork she should have had done.

"She is fine," Tsunade sighed. "Come with me."

She turned and walked down the hall. They followed her eagerly.

"Who is she?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade didn't seem to be listening as she turned a corner. A long moment passed and Sakura burst with frustration.

"Tsunade-sama, we have the right to know!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, do you?" Tsunade retorted, still refraining an answer as she turned another corner. "You really think you have any business with this girl?"

"Y-yes," Sakura stuttered, searching for a valid reason. "She…she saved our teammate's life!"

"Yeah!" Naruto included, as if his input made any difference.

"_Sakura_," Tsunade hissed, causing both her and Naruto to wince, "this girl could destroy you. She might even," she paused, "be able to destroy me...if she wanted to. So I will not be giving out information that I do not have _permission_ to give out. _Do you understand_?"

They fell silent as Tsunade's clicking heels lead the way to Sasuke's room. It took a while, but they finally reached it. This hospital didn't believe stairs were safe, so, instead, the floor was slanted upward and lead to each story. It was thoughtful, but exhausting and took maybe a little too long.

Tsunade put her hand on the knob of the door and finally looked at them, her expression serious. "You will not wake her and you will not touch either of them," she commanded. "They're recovering from massive injuries that you could only imagine. They're covered with blankets, so you will not see any disturbing things, but _do not touch them_."

With that, she opened the door and walked away, saying over her shoulder, "You have ten minutes. I am watching."

Sakura and Naruto gulped down their itching fear not to go inside. Naruto took a step back and gestured toward the doorway with his arm, bowing his head. "Ladies first," his weak voice quivered.

Sakura frowned, but nodded and entered anyway. Even if he hadn't meant it in a mannerly way, she had to take it that way in order to keep her temper to a minimum. As she walked in, the scent of dirt and bark flared into her nostrils.

There were two beds on the opposite side of the room. Both heads of the beds were against the wall, while the foot of the beds were toward her, so she couldn't tell who was in which bed. The window was between them, allowing the beautiful sunshine to shine its bright rays into the gloomy room. She decided to check the bed on the right for Sasuke, hoping it wasn't the girl, but also hoping the opposite. She wasn't sure what she wanted.

She walked slowly toward it, trying to see the face from a distance, because she was afraid of getting too close and waking the girl if it was her. She saw a hint of black hair, but the blanket covered it, so she couldn't see how long it was.

"Sakura," Naruto whispered, causing her to jump and look at him. He was standing next to the other bed. "It's Sasuke."

She walked over and peered down at Sasuke's pale-green face. The butterflies in her stomach swirled with nervous sadness. She wanted to see him normal again. He was barely recognizable. All of a sudden, she forgot about Sasuke. She looked at Naruto, who was already looking at her, and they both knew what the other was thinking.

"I want to know who it is," they both whispered, turning from Sasuke's bed to face the other one across the room.

"Okay," Sakura whispered, "we're going to walk over there together on the count of three." Naruto nodded. "One, two…"

"Three," Naruto said, and they both walked briskly to the other side of the hospital room.

They loomed over the girl as if she were an alien, staring speechlessly at her with absolute astonishment.

"No way," Sakura denied, forgetting to whisper. "It can't be her."

"Hyuga Hinata?" Naruto exclaimed.

They gazed at her white, bruised face, lost in a whirlwind of panicked thoughts.

"Alright," they heard Tsunade's voice, hurling their attention toward the doorway, "your ten minutes…" She gasped piercingly, stopping abruptly in place. "Uchiha!" she bellowed as she jogged toward the opposite side of the room from the two frightened teenagers.

Sakura and Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing beside his bed, glaring at the two of them with his Sharingan blazing a deep crimson within his eyes. Sakura made a weak noise of dread, matching her gaze with his. Naruto took a step forward, the side of his mouth twitching with an unsure smile.

"Sasuke," he tried to laugh in a friendly way, "you're alive. We were so…"

His voice trailed off when Sasuke growled. Tsunade stood next to him, uncertain whether or not she should take a hold of him and force him back into the bed or wait out his dying strength. Sasuke walked toward his teammates, his grimace deepening as he grew closer. They expected him to stop in front of them, the way someone would if they were going to confront another person, but he shoved them apart so he could get through. Everyone watched in confusion as he sat down on the side of Hyuga Hinata's bed and proceeded to run his fingers through her long, dark hair.

After a long moment of silence, other than the cheerful talking of the nurses and patients outside the room, Tsunade walked around to the other side of the bed and spoke.

"Sasuke," she soothed, smiling slightly, "she will be all right." She reached her hand out toward Hinata's shoulder. "It will be a while, but she will recover."

Just before her hand grazed Hinata in any way, Sasuke grabbed her wrist and flung it away. He did not look up or mumble a sound. Tsunade frowned in wonder.

"Sasuke," the soothing in her voice was gone, "talk."

He didn't obey, just continued his kind gesture of compassion for the sleeping girl.

"Sasuke, if you can, just say one word," she told him.

He looked at her and shook his head. For a moment she thought he just didn't want to, but then he moved his fingers up to his throat. She knew then that her guess had been right.

"You cannot speak," she breathed.

Sakura gasped.

Sasuke shook his head. Tsunade watched his fingers stream through Hinata's hair. After a while, her gaze became a stare, then an intense gaping. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she held her hand out.

"Sasuke," she ordered, "give me your hand."

"What now?" Sakura whined, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Sasuke frowned questioningly, but obeyed. She held his index finger, between her thumb and other four fingers of her free hand, and proceeded to bend it inward and then straight again. She repeated this a few times, studying his hand.

"Do you feel that?"

Sasuke lifted his shoulders.

She tried the rest of his fingers as well as his other hand, but the answer didn't change.

"Oh no…"

"What?" Naruto asked, subconsciously wrapping his arm around Sakura's shoulders because of her crying. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure," Tsunade spoke hurriedly, studying Sasuke's calm face. "Sasuke, how old are you?" She took a notebook and pencil from her pocket and wrote the number "16" on it. "Is this how old you are?"

Sasuke squinted at it and shook his head rapidly.

"What?" Sakura screamed, hugging Naruto's waist. "Yes, Sasuke, you're sixteen years old!"

"Hush, Sakura," Tsunade hissed. "Sasuke,"—she placed her finger over the "1" to only let him see the number "6"—"are you six years old?"

Sasuke was glaring at Sakura, possibly for her outburst, but he nodded his head to answer.

"Sasuke," Tsunade said his name in a soft and soothing voice, forcing him to look at her because of the sudden gentleness in her tone, "will you please come with me?"

He hesitated, leaning closer to Hinata.

Tsunade smiled sweetly. "Your mommy will be fine. She is just sleeping." She rounded the bottom of the bed. "She told me, before she fell asleep, that it was your bedtime too."

Sasuke looked unsure, the way a child would after hearing a gentle stranger's voice. He peered down at Hinata's face, as if to ask in his mind if Tsunade was telling the truth. When he finally looked back up at Tsunade, she was bent down to his height with a warm smile on her face and her hand held out to him.

With a wink, she beckoned, "Come, Sasuke-sama, your bed is just across the room from mommy's."

Sakura and Naruto watched in amazement as the Hokage-sama lead this sixteen year old boy to his bed with baby words and small steps. Naruto glanced down at Sakura with worry in his eyes. After a moment of gazing, they became completely aware of their bodies. Blushing a deep crimson, they slowly untwisted themselves.

He cleared his throat. "My fault."

"Yep," she replied.

Tsunade kissed Sasuke's forehead and he closed his eyes with a smile. "Good night, Sasuke-sama," she whispered.

She stood up straight, from leaning over to kiss him, and turned toward the doorway, beckoning at it with a slight movement of her head for Sakura and Naruto to leave with her. Tsunade smiled when they practically ran out the door and down the hall. It was understandable. Just as she took a step, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist. She looked over her shoulder to see Sasuke gazing up at her.

"Yes?"

He looked toward their right and a small smile spread across his lips. Tsunade knew immediately what that meant. She whirled around to see Hinata sitting up in bed. Her long hair covered her face and she raised her knees to her chest. The Hokage was frozen with fear. If Sasuke was stuck in the past, what would the she be like?

"A boy…" her voice was hoarse. "I saved a boy."

Tsunade looked at Sasuke who was now lying on his back sound asleep. She couldn't think of what to do with Hinata—whether it be speaking with her or possibly sedating her—so she walked over to the heart monitor and began hooking it up to Sasuke. It was something she had wanted to do as soon as the visitors had left and she wanted to hear what Hinata had to say anyway.

"We were...s-surrounded by...light," Hinata continued, placing her hand firmly against her forehead. "It was s-so...bright and everything was sc..._screaming_."

None of this made sense and she didn't try to decipher it. In a way, she didn't want to. She knew this day was going to haunt their lives forever. All she wanted now was for them to rest and recover no matter how long it took.


	2. Chapter 1

Kiba stood in the doorway gaping at Hinata. Shino stood beside him.

"Her hair..." Kiba whispered, but Shino elbowed his ribs and pushed him forward.

"Don't say a word," the bug boy muttered.

"How are you feeling today, Hinata-chan?"

Kiba grinned and placed the bouquet of roses on the stand by her bed. It was filled with all sorts of different colors. There was red, yellow, blue, black, green and even pink. He laughed nervously when he saw Hinata looking at them with disbelief.

"Well..." Shino said, bending over and lifting Akamaru, Kiba's puppy, onto Hinata's lap, "you are hard to shop for." He took the blue rose from the vase and, after handing it to her, kissed her cheek.

Hinata giggled and pet Akamaru's head slowly and weakly. "Th-thank you," she smiled sweetly. "Y-you're my best f-friends."

Akamaru licked her hand, his little tail wagging happily, but they all saw the sadness he was truly feeling. They were all feeling it. It may have been a beautiful day and the sun may have been shining, but their smiles were forced and there was no life in their eyes.

"Hinata-chan," Shino interrupted the silence, his voice gruff and serious, "we heard the news from Tsunade."

Kiba shifted nervously in his spot, either unwilling to talk about it or uncomfortable with the situation at hand. "What Shino is trying to say is..." he paused.

"Y-you know about..." Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "...m-my condition."

"Well..." Kiba replied slowly, "yes."

No one said another word. Kiba turned around, fidgeting with his hands and looking down at his feet. Shino sighed a few times, his hands in his pockets and his gaze out the window, which he thought was odd to be in the middle of the wall. This hospital really was unique.

That reminded him of something. "Oh," he turned toward Hinata, "your father wants you home."

"Oh yeah!" Kiba sounded relieved that the silence had ended. "You're father wants you to be transferred from the hospital to the Hyuga residence by tomorrow."

Hinata gazed off into the distance. "I..." she whispered, "...I see."

"He says," Kiba continued, nervously rambling, "'the Hyuga family can heal better and faster than any hospital.'" He had just used his best Hyuga Hiashi voice. "That's exactly what your father sounded like too! So then I asked him..."

"Kiba," Shino stopped him.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Oh..." he peered apologetically at Hinata. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan, I just..."

"_We_ just..." Shino shifted his glasses on his nose and cleared his throat. Hinata smiled as soon as she saw the shade of pink on his cheeks. "We...love you, Hinata-chan."

She giggled quietly. "Th-thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so m-much for e-everything you have ever d-done for me. You were the b-best teammates I could have e-ever a-asked for."

They both grinned at her, but their smiles faded as soon as they had formed.

"Wh-what?" Hinata asked, worry in her soft voice.

Both of them grimaced at something across the room. She turned her head to see Sasuke standing by his bed with his Sharingan blazing and an angry stance about him. She immediately gave Akamaru to Kiba and tried to sooth the boy.

"S-Sasuke-san," she cooed, "please c-calm down. They're my f-friends."

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, laughing loudly as he kicked open the door. "You're best friend is here to cheer you up!" He stopped when he realized everyone was glaring at him. "Oh, I'm interrupting," he murmured, blushing slightly. "My bad, guys."

Hinata blushed when he looked at her. Brushing her hair behind her ear, she smiled shyly at him. "G-good morning, N-Naruto-kun..." she welcomed him.

Sasuke walked briskly up to the boy and grabbed his shirt collar.

"Hey," Naruto snorted, pushing Sasuke away, "what's up with you?"

Sakura sighed behind him and walked forward. "You don't understand _anything_, Naruto!" She handed Sasuke the yellow roses she had brought him and grinned. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she chirped. "How are you feeling?"

He took the roses and examined them with a confused look as if he didn't realize they were a gift. Sakura giggled and sniffed them, knowing he would copy her. Of course, with the mind of a six year old, he did.

"Don't they smell good, Sasuke-kun?" she grinned. "I was hoping you would like them."

All of a sudden, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She froze, her heart pounding so fast she thought it was going to burst.

Naruto frowned and rounded Sakura. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, he snapped, "Back off or I'll..." They all stopped and looked at Hinata when she began to laugh.

"N-Naruto-kun," she said in between breaths, "h-he did it, because S-Shino-kun kissed m-my cheek after th-they gave me fl-flowers."

"Oh." He released Sasuke and fixed the wrinkles in his shirt. "Sorry. I forgot you're only six."

Sakura's shocked face had disappeared and was replaced with a sad one. "Oh..." she whispered. "I thought...maybe..." She burst into tears and ran out the door.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, chasing after her. "Wait!"

Sasuke looked around, completely confused. Hinata held her hand out to him with a sad smile. He walked up to her bed and sat down.

"L-Listen," she spoke quietly, "S-Sakura-chan... She l-loves you."

He frowned thoughtfully and looked toward the doorway where she had left. He looked back at Hinata and shook his head.

"Y-You don't f-feel that w-way for h-her?" she asked.

He shook his head again and took her hand. He closed his eyes and kissed it for a long moment. Then he smiled warmly at her.

"I am y-your m-mother," she said, ignoring Shino and Kiba's gasps, "so listen c-carefully, o-okay?"

His expression became a pout, because she had changed her tone. He nodded obediently.

"I w-want you to go f-find her and f-fall in l-love with h-her," she told him slowly. "I-I loved s-someone t-too, but I w-will never b-be with h-him, because I w-waited t-too long a-and was t-too shy to t-tell him."

"Hinata..." Kiba whispered, "you can still get him."

She smiled at Kiba. "Th-thank you, b-but please don't l-lie to m-me."

He looked down shamefully.

Sasuke stood and walked toward the doorway. He looked back at Hinata and smiled. He was about to turn around to leave when he suddenly collapsed on the floor, screaming. He gripped his head with both hands and his body writhed every which way.

Shino and Kiba rushed to him, shouting out questions and trying to stop him from kicking so wildly.

"Sasuke-san!" Hinata shouted, throwing off her sheets and sliding to the floor. Her weak legs buckled beneath her and she was forced to crawl to him.

"Hinata-chan," Kiba shouted, "no! Get back. He'll hurt you!"

Sasuke let out a loud scream, sitting up and cupping his arms around his head. Hinata couldn't stand to see the pain on his face. She continued forward until she reached his side.

"Sasuke-san," she soothed quietly, touching his shoulder softly, "e-everything will b-be all r-right."

He stopped screaming, but his entire body shook with pain. He slowly took his hands off his head.

"I'm here, S-Sasuke-san," she whispered. "I'm h-here."

All at once, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his face into her neck and knocking her onto her back. She pet his head and closed her eyes, humming a sweet lullaby to him between his shouts of agony.

_I was sitting at my family's table inside our old house. There she was. My mother. I felt myself smile. She was grinning at me and talking. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I felt myself laugh, so I had to be listening._

_Then my vision widened and a strange girl, whom, to my surprise, I recognized, sat next to her, grinning and talking just as Mother was. I felt a connection with her. It was almost as strong as my connection to Mother._

_Suddenly, both of them stopped talking and began to slide toward each other, but they weren't moving a muscle, just smiling happily at me. I was scared. I watched them become one person, but I could still see the two separate bodies, they were just transparent._

"_Sasuke-san," they both whispered in unison, "everything will be all right. I love you. I love you."_

_They slowly disappeared and everything began to fade away. I felt myself screaming for the strange girl instead of my mother and I couldn't understand why._

"Hinata-chan!" Sasuke shouted, sitting up straight. He looked down to find himself in a bed with unfamiliar white sheets covering him. Lifting his hands, he stared at them as if they were foreign. "Where am I?"

He looked around. It was dark, but he could faintly see the outline of the room. He was in a hospital. His stomach twisted with fear and anger. Why couldn't he remember anything? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to collect even the smallest amount of memory he might have.

His eyes flashed open. "The war!"

"W-war?" he heard a soft voice stutter. "Y-you were in the w-war?"

"Who's there?" his deep voice threatened as he winced cautiously toward the wall beside him.

"So...you don't r-remember me n-now?"

The name "Hinata" rang inside his mind. "Hinata," he mumbled, frowning and relaxing himself away from the cold, white wall. "The name I shouted..." He spoke up, his voice still slightly threatening. "Are you Hinata?"

The girl sighed. "Yes, S-Sasuke-san," she replied. "I am s-so glad y-you aren't s-six anymore. I h-hope it s-stays that w-way."

"Six?" he asked, his low voice returning. "As in six years old?"

"Y-yes. You th-thought I was your m-mother."

"What?" he snapped, momentarily losing control. "You couldn't be half the woman my mother was!"

Hinata flinched, looking away from him so he would not see. "You l-loved her d-dearly..."

"Why do you stutter?" he growled. "It's annoying."

"I-I can't h-help it," she said apologetically, closing her eyes and trying to control her rising sorrow. "I've t-tried to s-stop, but I n-never can."

"Were you born with it?" he asked, his voice flat.

"N-no..."

"Then you can help it," he snorted. "Now who are you and why am I here?"

"I..." she paused for a long moment, trying to speak slowly, "saved...y-you. S-sorry. I'm t...rying."

"Saved me?" He scoffed. "Tell me the truth."

"You f...ell down the c-canyon and I s...aved you."

"Canyon..." he mumbled, scenes from the past returning to him. "Itachi..."

"Wh...at?" she asked.

"Nothing," he snapped. "You don't even know anything about me, do you?"

"Why are you s...aying this?" she asked, hurt that he was speaking so angrily.

"Why did you save me?" he began to shout, gripping the sheets as tightly as his weak hands could. "I deserved to die. I didn't even come close to..."

"Enough," Hinata yelled, overcome with emotion. "I've heard e...nough. No one de...serves to d...ie."

There was a long silence.

"Some people deserve to die," Sasuke muttered. "Some people deserve to be tortured until death releases them from their pitiful lives."

"N...o," Hinata whispered. "As a d...ying p-person, I say no."

Sasuke slid his legs off the edge of the bed, his head hung low. It took him a moment, but he finally decided what he was going to do. Standing up, he walked to the window and peered out at the full moon shining its magnificence into the room.

"Itachi," he whispered, "is my brother."

"Sasuke-san..." Hinata whispered.

It sounded like she was going to ask a question, so he continued, refusing to give details. "I vowed to kill him at all costs. My life...was and is the only thing I hold dear, so I can live on to kill him one day."

"Sasuke-san," she whispered again, causing him to grimace.

"I'm not finished," he snapped. "What I'm trying to say is I'm going to find out how to repay you for saving the one thing I have ever loved. No matter what, I will repay you."

"Sasuke-san," she whispered for the third time, "please..."

He sighed, turning toward her. "What?"

But his agitation disintegrated when he saw what was wrong. Hinata lay on her back, writhing and twisting vigorously. Her wide, fear-filled eyes bore into his very soul, her hand reaching out to him. He ran to the door.

"Nurse," he screamed, "anyone, get a doctor!"


	3. Chapter 2

_It was the door shutting_, Sasuke thought to himself, realizing what the sound had been that had awoken him from his slumber. He was facing away from Hinata's bed as well as the door. It was quiet, but he felt the presence of someone other than himself and Hinata within the room. He was about to turn to look, but stopped himself when he heard a voice.

"Is he awake?" the stranger whispered. There was a pause. "I wanted to make sure." Another short pause. "Well...I brought it."

Sasuke listened intently to rustling of sheets and something else that he couldn't recognize by sound alone. He assumed the person was hiding an object somewhere on or near Hinata's bed.

"I feel like a fool. Please don't use it on yourself. I would feel responsible..."

The sheets moved again and the stranger stopped speaking. Whoever it was, she was female. Sasuke could tell by the pitch of the voice even it being just a whisper.

"I also brought..." Now the person was beginning to be careless about the noise as they searched (what sounded like) their clothing for something. "...this."

Sasuke now understood that the sheets rustling around was Hinata moving. The sound lingered as she moved slowly, it halted briefly and then continued slowly once more before finishing. The sound of something wooden, possibly some type of box, being opened made him frown in curiosity. After a short moment the stranger chuckled quietly.

"I thought you would cry," she whispered. "It's my gift to you. Keep it safe."

The stranger tip-toed quietly toward the door, opened it slowly, lingered there for a moment, and then shut the door behind them. Sasuke heard no other sounds for a long while, but he knew he couldn't move in fear of Hinata still being awake. He couldn't let her know he'd heard. They were trying hard to keep quiet. She obviously didn't want him to know anything about it.

He was surprised to hear the sheets of her bed make a sweeping sound, as if being thrown in the air. He didn't dare move. Something heavy, but sturdy hit the floor and it sounded as if Hinata was pushing it very slowly, stopping with each small push to catch her breath, but he couldn't hear footsteps or any heavy breathing, and whatever it was didn't screech against the floor, so it had to be something soft. His curiosity was about to murder him.

The sound got closer and closer until it stopped at his bedside. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. He turned to look over his shoulder just as an arm reached up from the floor and leaned its strength upon the edge of the bed. Another arm came up to help. Sasuke watched as Hinata's head popped up and looked exhaustively into his face.

Her eyes widened when she realized he was staring at her. Her cheeks burned. "S-Sasuke-san," she whispered with a raspy voice, "I..." her eyes averted to the floor, "I can't f-feel my l-legs."

His eyes widened and he sat up, staring down at the girl. She had her arms folded upon the surface of his bed, holding her upper body straight upright, while her legs lay limp upon the floor behind her. She had been using her elbows to drag herself across the room!

He quickly got out of bed and scooped her up bridal style: knees into one arm and shoulders into the other. "I will get a doctor," he said, turning and striding toward the doorway.

"N-no!" Hinata whispered and he stopped. "Ho-Hokage-sama in-informed me of tem-temporary p-paralysis."

Sasuke frowned at her. "So why come to me?"

Her eyes averted from his. "I... I mean... C-can I..."

She didn't speak for a long moment and Sasuke growled. "Can you _what_?"

His growl discouraged her. "N-nothing," she finally answered.

He walked her back to her bed. After laying her onto her back, he violently flung the sheets back over her. "I could've been sleeping..." he muttered and turned away.

"I..." she whispered.

"You _what_?" Sasuke nearly shouted, grimacing angrily at her over his shoulder.

She looked up at him, clutching the sheets in her tiny, weak hands and covering her mouth and nose with them. Tears poured from her eyes. "I'm...s-sorry, S-Sasuke-san. I don't kn-know what g-got in to m-me..."

He clenched his hands into fists as his grimace softened. He jerked his head forward to keep from seeing her face. "Whatever," he growled coldly, "just sleep."

After lying in bed for a few minutes, his anger had completely vanished from listening to her quiet sobs. He understood what she had wanted. He knew he had to act fast before he changed his mind. He didn't want to do it, but he had to find a way to repay her for saving his life and he knew this would be a step forward in that direction. He stood and walked over to Hinata. Her back was toward him and he could see her shoulders shake with her uneven breathing.

"Hinata," his voice was harsher than he had wanted it to be. She turned toward him and he was taken aback when his heart began to race from embarrassment. "Take the sheets off," he ordered her, unhappy with his inability to remain calm through this situation. She looked at him with a confused expression. "Just do it!" he commanded.

The poor girl was reluctant for a moment, but finally removed the sheets. Sasuke picked her up and carried her over to his bed. He lay her down, situating her legs in what would be a comfortable position, pulled the sheets up to her shoulders and then crawled into the bed beside her. They both wore maroon cheeks and refused to meet eyes. Hinata glanced quickly at him to see he was staring at the ceiling. She did the same, wondering whether or not he would be angered if she thanked him for his kindness.

"Sor..." Sasuke began, "...sor..." He growled, frustrated that his mouth didn't want to cooperate. "I yelled," he nearly bellowed, "and I didn't..." he softened his voice as much as he could, "...want to."

_He's trying to apologize_... Hinata realized his pride was hindering his abilities to be kind. A smile spread across her lips and she began to giggle ever so quietly.

"I f-forgive you," she whispered.

"Right." Sasuke turned on his side, his back toward Hinata. "Just sleep."

_I sat on the ground with my back against something warm. I sniffed the beautiful scent of an unknown mixture of flowers and fresh spring water. The sky was bright blue and the leaves above me swayed in the wind. I felt nothing but peace in my heart. I knew somewhere in my subconscious that this peace was out of place and unusual, but my chest was open to it._

_All at once, my conscious was brought back to reality and knew my body was dreaming. Images of my sorrowful and gory past raged through my mind while I, in my dream state, still sat at that same warm spot, my back against something unknown and comfortable, watched them helplessly, begging myself to forget them all and stop the scenes from returning to my eyes._

_Wake up... Please just...wake up... Wake up!_

Sasuke's eyes opened slowly, as if reluctant, but he knew he had been sweating with anxiety and fear. He prepared for a wave of anger to crash through him, but it didn't come. He still felt the same warmth against his back that he had felt within the dream and was unwillingly filled with an immense amount of curiosity. Turning to look over his shoulder, his blood stopped cold in his veins at the sight. The girl from the night before had unknowingly scooted toward him while she slept until her back was pressed against his.

_Do I move? _He wondered, silently panicking. _That would awaken her… That's her fault! How dare she carelessly touch me during my most vulnerable time! …Why was I vulnerable while asleep? I should have felt or heard her movements. I can't be that exhausted… _ He grimaced, finally feeling the wave anger begin to crash through him. Upset with himself for being so weak, he pushed his body forward to get away from hers, but, unfortunately, he hadn't realized the lack of bed he had in front of him and plummeted to the floor.

Lying now on his back on the cold, hardwood flooring, he glared at the ceiling. _This girl makes a fool of me while asleep. If this happens again, I must refuse to associate with her any longer._

Suddenly, Hinata's face appeared within his line of site, her long, black hair dangling down just inches from his nose. "S-Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke froze with humiliation and didn't know what to say. He hoped she hadn't heard him fall and was just wondering why he was on the ground.

"I'm s-so sorry!" her face looked pitiful. "I p-pushed you off in the m-middle of the n-night, didn't I?"

Relieved she hadn't heard him fall just moments ago, he replied, "Idiot," pausing, he rolled his eyes to keep her from seeing his panicked face while he thought up a quick lie, "I _chose_ to sleep on the floor."

"Wh-why?" she looked curious.

He sighed, silently planning his next line. Pushing her hair out of his face, he sat up and she moved back onto the bed to get out of the way. Standing, he assorted his hospital robe so it would not reveal anything. He walked to the equipment closet and retrieved his clothes. Turning toward the bathroom door, he said with a small, mischievous smile, "You snore."

He knew she must have had the most comical expression at that moment, but, refusing to lose his reputation of being solemn at all times, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

_I feel like I'm dealing with Naruto_, he thought as he pulled on his shorts. _Although she is nothing like him, I still feel as humiliated around her as I do him, so I'm reacting the same way I would with him. _He sighed exasperatingly. _How irritating._

When he finished and opened the door, he was surprised to see Hinata on her stomach on the floor, trying to reach the handle to the closet's right door. He frowned and walked over to her. Opening the door, he watched her motion toward the folded wheelchair. Ignoring his inquiries about the reason she needed it so early in the morning, he lifted it up and, unfolding it, placed it down near the foot of the bed. He rolled his eyes when he saw that she was dragging herself toward it.

"Enough with that," he spat and picked her up, "I wouldn't have gotten the wheelchair if I wasn't going to help you."

"I-I…" she paused as he placed her gently into the wheelchair and positioned her lifeless feet into the petals, "I don't w-want you to re…pay me."

"I owe you," he said calmly, still situating the straps around different parts of her body. She was silent while he finished securing her. He saw the insecure expression upon her face and growled. "Maybe if you had just thought of something I could do that's worth a life, this would be over already!"

She winced at his change in tone, but soaked in his words willingly. After a long moment, she spoke, "Th-then hide me."


	4. Chapter 3

"We have reason to suspect Uchiha did this out of irrationality," Tsunade formally informed the Hyuga's head of the family, Hinata's father, Hiashi. "I have been told someone overheard him announcing he would be taking her to Sunakagure." She calmly watched Hiashi's muscles tighten with each passing moment. "As for the reason why he took Hinata-chan, we do not know."

Hiashi stood and bowed to the Hokage. "Thank you for telling me all you know," he calmly thanked her, but as he straightened from his bow, she noticed how his movements were stiff with anger. He turned and began to walk toward the door.

"Hiashi-sama," Tsunade stopped him, "do you truly love Hinata-chan as much as I suspect?"

Hiashi glared over his shoulder. "Why is this question relevant?"

"Why do you push her into unnecessary depression?" Tsunade stood, her compassion getting the best of her. "That is not an act of love. Why do you make her believe you hate her?"

Hiashi looked forward and released a short breath—which was not quite a sigh—still none of his muscles loosening. "If she knew the kind of power she holds, she would be too strong for me to handle."

"So you suppress it with sorrow instead of allowing her to learn to control it?" Tsunade sat back down and sighed. "Regretfully, I have to admit that's understandable."

Hiashi finally sighed and his shoulders released some tension. "Thank you for understanding."

He then exited the room, leaving Tsunade to her thoughts.

Hinata's sleepy eyes slowly opened to find an unfamiliar roof above her. She almost began to panic until she remembered leaving the hospital with Sasuke-san earlier that morning. It was quiet in the house. She could hear the peaceful sound of the chirping birds outside. Wanting to get up, she focused her mind on her body. She still couldn't move her legs and her stomach muscles were regrouping from the operations that had been done not too long ago.

She turned her head to her right to see nothing but the logs that made up the walls. Frowning, she turned her head now to the left and saw a wooden nightstand beside the small bed she lay upon. It looked as if it had been hand carved from the same wood that the walls were made of. A blue candle, which had been noticeably used a few times before, sat atop the nightstand behind the tray of food that was still steaming with heat. Blinded by the sight of her breakfast, she didn't examine the room any further.

Unable to sit up, she tried to figure out a way to be able to get into a position to eat the food. She tried using her arms to lift herself, but they were weak with misuse. Determined, she continued to come up with ways to use the muscles she still had. After a few long and tiring minutes, she still lay on her back, feeling useless and defeated.

"Are you finished?" Sasuke's voice sounded loud in the silent room.

She looked to her left and saw nothing. Lifting her head just slightly, she saw him leaning his side against the wall at the foot of her bed with his hands in his pockets and an expression of calm anger (if there could be such thing).

"I'll never pay off my debt to you if you continue with this stubbornness," he explained, rolling his eyes and walking over to her. "I just want to get rid…" he stopped, seeing her pitiful expression, "…of this debt," he finished.

"Th-thank you," she nearly whispered.

"Stop thanking me for something I _have_ to do," he spat, taking the tray from the nightstand and putting it on his lap after he sat at the edge of the bed, close to her face.

"For ch…anging your orig…original sentence." She kept her gaze away from his and opened her mouth for the approaching spoon with warm soup in it.

He stopped what he was doing. "I didn't," he argued.

Hinata closed her mouth and looked at him now.

"I saw your face," he explained. "I wanted to yell at you for assuming what I would say, so I had to stop myself."

Hinata's lips formed into a small smile. "Thank y-you."

"I said it before," he rolled his eyes and brought the spoon to her lips, "stop thanking me. If I yell at you or hurt you in any way, it takes me further from the objective."

She swallowed the delicious soup, her stomach thanking her for it. "Ob-objective?"

He groaned and brought another spoonful to her mouth. "Paying off my debt."

They didn't speak for the rest of the time as Hinata hungrily ate the entire bowl of soup and two sandwiches. Sasuke now sat at the end of her bed reading an unknown book. Hinata was fighting off sleep. She had to go to the bathroom, but she didn't know where the wheelchair was and was much too embarrassed to tell Sasuke what was wrong.

"Umm…" Hinata finally began to speak, "wh-where is th-the wheelchair?"

She heard him turn a page of the book. "My doorways aren't wide enough for you to use it in here."

Hinata's eyes widened with terror. "Th-then h-how will I g-get a-around?"

He detected the emotion in her voice and looked up from his book. "Why do you need it so bad?"

Her face blushed crimson. "I-it's n-nothing…"

He sighed and arose from his sitting position. Without saying a word, he put his book down on the nightstand, scooped her into his arms, walked her into the kitchen and continued down a hallway to the right. He opened a door on the left wall, walked into the small room and turned on the light. It was the bathroom. Hinata's face was still red as he sat her down on the toilet and walked out, shutting the door behind him. She continuously thanked him mentally as she proceeded to do her business.

She flushed and "umm" was all she had to say for Sasuke to walk in. He picked her up, held her up to the sink, so she could wash her hands and brought her back to the bed.

After a while of silence, Hinata spoke, "Th-that hurt my st-stomach."

"To sit up?" he asked, still reading.

"Y-yes," she answered.

"Which is why I didn't sit you up to eat."

She lifted her head to look at him. She wanted to think he was doing this out of kindness, because the truth hurt. How could someone be so cold?

"Why d-don't you love S-Sakura-san?" she blurted out, and then slapped her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, waiting for the worst.

He looked up from his book, frowning. "Where did that come from?"

"N-never mind," she rushed her words nervously. "I-ignore m-me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"W-well…" she wasn't sure what to say, "…y-yes."

"Tell me," he ordered, closing his book.

"Wh-when you th-thought you w-were s-six…"

Hinata told him the story about the flowers and how Sakura had burst into tears and then he had a fit of pain and awoke from his trance. Sasuke had gotten up and sat at the edge of the bed beside her, listening intently, eyes glaring at the end of the pillow she lay upon throughout the entire story.

"I could never love Sakura," he finally announced. "She's almost as big of an idiot as Naruto. Neither of them know what _real_ pain is."

"E-everyone kn-knows wh-what pain is, S-Sasuke-san," Hinata disagreed, forcing Sasuke to avert his glare toward her. "W-we just ex-experience it d-differently."

"You lie," he snapped.

"N-no," she frowned, "i-it's true! The l-level of pain may b-be different for each p-person, b-but they still f-feel pain in some w-way." She paused, blushing slightly. "E…especially for N-Naruto-kun…"

Sasuke didn't reply. _She likes Naruto…_ He didn't understand what emotion it was that caused his heart to feel constricted when he realized this fact and decided to ignore it. He just glared into Hinata's eyes. She felt intimidated and afraid of him, but refused to show it. Even when it was her father, she had always given her opinion. It was the only thing she could hold onto. He could beat her all he wanted, but she would forever believe in her mind, because her body was too weak to depend on.

"You have a point."

She realized she had gone into a state of thinking and hadn't been looking at him directly. Now that she did, she was shocked to see a small hint of a smile in one corner of his lips. His eyes were still narrowed, but his eyebrows were relaxed, indicating he was not angry. Oh, sweet reprieve! She was relieved and spread a warm smile at him in return.

"I didn't kn-know the real y-you could s-smile," she breathed.

It then faded, but he didn't grimace or show any signs of anger. "The real me?"

"Y-yes, wh-when you were s-six, you sm-smiled a l-lot," she giggled. "It's p-probably bec-cause you th-thought I was y-your m-mother."

His usual cold and lifeless face returned. "I see," he replied with a harsh tone. "How could I have been _so_ mistaken?" He stood and walked to the front door—which was (oddly) located on the back wall of the bedroom they had been in all day—and opened it. "You could _never_ be her!" With that, he slammed the door behind him.

Tears swelled in her eyes, bitterly warming them like the sting of a bee warms the skin after impact. He could be so sweet at times. She found herself asking the same question as usual: how could someone be so cold? Even her father would come into her room after beating her and hug her tenderly, crying into her shoulder and begging for forgiveness. This boy was scarred. Worse than her. Worse than many.

Sasuke felt the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. He dashed through the trees of the forest surrounding his secret cottage. He ran until he reached the lake just south of the log cabin, which was the main reason he had chosen this land for his hiding place. The lake was so gorgeous. It brought back peaceful memories of his mother and respectful memories of his father.

When they were still alive, their home had been next to a lake. His mother would go out to the beach in the morning and paint the beautiful scenery. Sasuke, young and infatuated, would follow her and watch from a distance. Once, he came out from hiding and accidentally startled her. When she had jumped, her hand flew up and the painting was smeared. He felt so sorry that he vowed to become an artist to repaint the lake for her. As he had promised, Sasuke took up painting. His isle and paint were spread out on the beach, far enough away that they wouldn't be harmed by the water.

He walked over to his current painting, picked up his tray and began filling it with colorful paint.

The door made a slight creek when Sasuke opened it, but it wasn't loud enough to wake the girl. He gently stepped inside the cottage and quietly shut the door. A groan made him frown with puzzlement. It was too far away to be coming from the bed just across the room.

"Hinata?" he called out quietly.

"S-S-Sasuke-k-k-kun?" Hinata called out, her voice sounding indescribably strange.

_Kun?_ Sasuke thought, frowning. _She's refused to call me "kun" ever since we met._ He walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light. His eyes widened. Hinata lay collapsed and nearly lifeless, other than her shivering. There were glass pieces all over the floor and in her hair, which was sprawled out around her head. Her shirt was off and she held it—her hands shaking—to her stomach. Blood was everywhere. There were cuts and slices all down her right arm.

He rushed to the bathroom to retrieve the medical kit. When he got back, she was dragging herself toward the bedroom.

"Stop!" he ordered, but she didn't. He dropped the kit and quickly, despite her struggling and kicking, picked her up and rushed her to the bed.

"What did you do?" he demanded. She trembled massively as she tried to get off the bed. "Enough!" He pinned her down. "Why can you move your legs? And what did you do?"

"W-water," she panted, words slurring, "I n-need water!"

Despite the fact that she wasn't answering his questions, he ran into the kitchen to fetch the water anyway. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water. Briskly walking back toward the doorway of the bedroom, he stopped and screamed out in fury. Dropping the drink, he ran toward the wide-open front door and left the glass to shatter onto the floor behind him.

He picked up on her trail of blood and broken glass. _I'll catch up with her before she gets too far._ He thought. _Stupid girl!_ A minute passed and, despite running at his full speed, he still hadn't caught up with her. _She's going in a straight line! There's no way she can be faster than me._ The lake was up ahead. _Why would she go to the…?_

He burst into the clearing and stopped abruptly. The scene before him glimmered so bright with the moonlight that he had to shield his eyes with his arm. He watched in bewilderment as Hinata's blindingly bright figure danced within a sphere of water upon the lake. The light then brightened and the force of it pushed the objects around the sphere away, which included Sasuke. He fell on his side, but refused to look away despite the fact that it was much too bright to see anything.

"This body cannot be healed," a foreign voice bellowed into the night sky. "The internal wound is unknown by the chakra of the ancient ones within the warrior. Cast out this body into the world of the mortals."

"N-no," came Hinata's innocent voice, "I w-want to l-live!"

Sasuke listened for anything more, but he could hear nothing but the sound of the roaring water. A few long minutes passed. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew Hinata was in danger. He could feel it.

_I have to save her. _He thought to himself._ I can't just sit here! I owe her my life… _Suddenly, his eyes widened. _She called me "Sasuke-kun" like we were good friends. She needs me to…_

Standing, he tightened his hands into fists. "Hinata!" he screamed. "Hinata…chan! I'm not done with you yet!" Nothing happened and he grimaced. "Hinata-chan, I will be with you until you don't need me anymore, so…you have to live!"

Nothing happened for a long moment making Sasuke unsure she could even hear him. Then, abruptly the vortex disappeared. Hinata's glowing body still hovered over the water. He rushed over to her and placed his arms beneath her shoulders and knees. Gravity gave in and she dropped into his arms. He waited for the glow to dissipate, but it didn't. Giving up, he carried her back to the cabin and placed her in the bed. Covering her with the blankets, he turned to walk into the kitchen and tend to the mess.

Just then the light emanating from her faded away. Puzzled, he turned around and walked back over to the bed. Lifting the blankets, he saw that she wore different clothing than what she'd had on before. Curiosity got the best of him and he continued to lift the sleeve of her right arm. Her wounds were no longer there. There wasn't even a hint of a scar. Seeing this miracle, he couldn't help but wonder what the strange voice had meant when it had said her body couldn't be healed.


	5. Chapter 4

_What's that smell?_ Sasuke opened his eyes immediately, his heart racing. _That smells like…_ He sat up straight and realized he was lying in his bed. Where was the girl? That was when he realized the kitchen light was on. He got out of bed and walked to the doorway. Quietly peering in, he saw Hinata shuffling around the kitchen, two pans and a pot cooking on the stove and the oven's preheating light on. She was wearing a pink apron and had her hair pulled into a half ponytail.

Sasuke, trying desperately to suppress the memories of his mother, occupied his mind by studying the details before him. He knew (for sure) that the apron hadn't been in the cabin before, he didn't own any type of hair accessories for her to pull her hair back with and half the ingredients she was cooking with hadn't been in the house before either. She must have left to get them. As soon as this comprehension settled in his mind, he suddenly wondered: _How long have I been asleep? When did I fall asleep? What time is it?_

He watched as Hinata brought a giant spoon to her mouth and shoved whatever it was into it. It looked a lot like cookie dough. She turned and froze when she saw Sasuke in the doorway. Her humming stopped and her smile disappeared. He smirked at the flour that was plastered on her face and how her cheeks bulged from being full with what he assumed was cookie dough. Her eyes widened and her face immediately turned bright red. He felt the compelling urge to say something to further her humiliation, but restrained himself.

She rushed to the bathroom and returned with a clean face and an empty mouth.

"P-please forgive me!" she bowed deeply to Sasuke, her face still crimson.

"You're apologizing for cooking?" Sasuke chuckled. _How amusing_, he thought.

"N-no…" she paused, unsure if she should straighten from her bow, "for last n-night."

The memories of the night before finally soaked into Sasuke's mind and his piercing expression returned. "I have questions." He sounded angry.

Hinata stood up straight, her face showing her fear. "Let's eat f-first?" she suggested.

Sasuke wanted to say no, but his nose and stomach were saying yes, so he gave her a nod. Relieved, she continued with her cooking until everything was finished. She placed it all on the table and they both sat on opposite sides and dug in. There was no talking while they devoured everything.

_Like mother's cooking…_ Sasuke wanted to shove that thought as far into the back of his mind as possible, but he could not leave this table without complimenting her talent. It made him remember the happy things of his past. _Which would be considered…_

"Very good," Sasuke commented, clearing his throat as if it physically hurt him to say something nice. If Hinata had known Sasuke better, she would have been aware that he never complimented anyone for any reason. But she didn't.

"Th-thank you!" she blushed, gathering the plates from her side of the table. "I-I've saved the b-best for last!"

_More food?_ Sasuke's stomach already felt full enough to burst.

Hinata opened the oven and pulled the cookie sheet out. Setting it on top of the stove, she examined them to make sure they looked the way they were meant to. Satisfied, she quickly scooped them up off the sheet and onto a plate. Humming as she worked, her mind was lost to the set of eyes watching her with amusement.

Sasuke sat at the table, his left elbow on the surface of it and his cheek in his palm, propping his head up. He watched Hinata dance around the kitchen, humming an unfamiliar, but catchy, tune. The corner of his mouth was raised into his unusual—but _recently_ usual—smirk of a smile.

"I chose b-blue, because," she walked to the table with the cookie-covered plate, snapping Sasuke back into reality, "it's the o-only color I-I've seen y-you wear."

He looked at the plate of blue chocolate chip cookies and raised an eyebrow. Was it not strange to dye a commonly baked cookie, such as chocolate chip, into a color when it's normally eaten naturally colored? He felt so, yes, but took one of the warm cookies anyway and bit it. Chewing slowly, he felt his chest tighten with remorse. Her cooking _and_ her baking were exactly like he remembered his mother's to be. The reason this hurt so much was because of the lurking wanting to say that it was _better_ than his mother's.

"A-are they so ter…rible?"

Sasuke looked up at her heart-broken face. He remembered his mother would make that face at his father quite a lot. Forgetting himself, he shook his head and smiled, a full, both sides of the mouth, smile and finished chewing his bite to reassure her. She grinned and sat down, giggling happily.

"I'm glad you like them!" she chirped without stuttering whatsoever.

They immediately froze, smiles gone, eyes wide, and stared at one another. Hinata brought her fingertips to her lips.

"Well…" Sasuke broke the silence, "can you do it again?"

"U-umm…" she tried, "I-I don't th-think so…"

"Hmm…" he frowned and continued to eat his cookie.

They didn't speak for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

"Umm…" Hinata took a cookie, "I h…ope you'll ac…cept this food as a g-good f-farewell g…ift."

"Farewell?" Sasuke asked, surprised with his quickly beating heart.

"You h…ave paid y-your dept," she explained, keeping her eyes averted from his. "And for th-that, I th-thank you."

He knew it was the fear of letting her go that caused his heart to pound. Refusing to accept this emotion, he replaced it with anger, mentally punishing himself for continuing to feel these things. He had succeeded for so long to never feel this way for anyone. Not even Naruto, whom he considered his long lost brother.

Suddenly, his anger forced his urge to be answered to surface from the back of his mind. Hinata was in the kitchen now, rinsing the dishes in the sink. He stood and stormed over to her. Pinning her in place by grabbing the counter on either side of her, he spoke in a deep, threatening tone, "What happened last night?"

She froze, stiffening her stance, feeling how close he was. Shocked at the sudden outburst, she wasn't sure what to say.

"Wh-what?" she asked, voice quivering.

"You heard me," he glowered, growling into her ear. "I want answers."

"U-umm…" she mumbled, turning off the faucet out of a mere fidget of nervousness. "W-well…"

"Why were you in a vortex?" His voice was getting louder.

"I-I…" she began, but he interrupted her.

"Why could I hear voices?"

"Th-they…"

"Why did it say you couldn't be healed?" he bellowed, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around to face him.

But all his anger vanquished when he saw her reaction. She had squeezed her eyes shut and flinched away from him, trying to bury her face in her shoulder as if ready to be hit.

Neither of them would have guessed what he was about to do…

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest ever so gently. He clutched the back of her head with his hand and pressed his face into her hair the best he could considering he was a whole foot taller than she.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice revealing the lump in his throat.

Hinata, completely taken aback, wasn't sure what to do. Out of instinct alone, she returned his hug. The only thing she could think about was how her father had held her mother the night he found out about her condition. Remembering what her mother had said, she whispered, "Forgive m-me." This made Sasuke hug her tighter, although she didn't understand why.

_She looked so much like my mother at that instant that I felt as if I had just hurt my own flesh and blood. I couldn't bear to see her that way. There is no denying now that it wasn't only my mother that I wanted to protect just then, but her too. Something so precious, so beautiful and cheerful deserves to be loved. My father did not understand this, so, in my mind, he was not a real man, not a good man. And now, for hurting this girl, neither was I._

"No," he whimpered, "forgive _me_. I am not a good man."

Hinata was filled with remorse at this. Hearing him say such things with so much emotion in his voice, made her feel his pain. She had already assumed that he wasn't talking to her, but to his mother. She didn't care. Either way, she needed to help heal his wound.

"You _are_ a good man," she spoke with sudden fluency, pulling away from his arms to his dismay, "but you are broken." She smiled up at his tear-stained face. "May I help fix you?"

Sasuke pulled her back to his chest, gripping her tighter now. "I cannot be fixed," he sobbed. "I will die this way."

Hinata grimaced with rage for the first time in a long time. "No, you won't!" She pushed him away. "You're a fool if you believe that!"

He stared at her. "You're angry…"

"Yes, I am," she screamed, "because you're a quitter! I won't let you live your life the way I did!"

_She was like this at the hospital too_. He recalled her confronting him about his opinions on death. He waited for his own anger to surface, but it didn't come. To his surprise, all he could think about was holding her again.

"Hinata," he soothed, opening his arms to her, "I'm sorry…"

She swallowed her longing to be held. "I-I am not your m-mother…"

He began to walk toward her. "I know."

She backed away. "No, you d-don't!" she argued, starting to lose her inner fight.

"Hinata-chan," his voice forced her gaze to fix upon his eyes, "do you remember what I said last night?"

"_Hinata-chan, I will be with you until you don't need me anymore, so…you have to live!__"_

"You m-merely caught m-my hint." She ducked under his arm after he had gotten too close and backed away toward the bedroom. "You u-understood that I n-needed you to p-pretend to be m-my friend to stop my d-death."

"At first," he nodded, continuing toward her with his arms still open, "but then…I couldn't stop the words."

She laughed nervously. "S-Sasuke-san, I d-don't want you to d-do anything you'll r-regret later."

Sasuke stopped abruptly, his arms returning to his sides, and grimaced. "You like Naruto…" he growled through clenched teeth.

Hinata blushed just at hearing his name. "Wh-what? N-Naruto-kun?" She fidgeted where she stood and looked down at the kitchen floor. "What do you m-mean?"

"Exactly – 'Naruto-_kun_'!" he screamed, marching up to her and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I…" she whispered, flinching away from his piercing gaze, "…I don't understand… N-Naruto-kun is…"

He pressed his hand against her mouth. "As long as you're under _my_ roof, you won't say his name!" he shouted and she frowned. "Swear it!"

Hinata slapped his hand away. "No!" she bellowed. "I refuse!"

"Then leave!" Sasuke pointed to the door and suddenly froze in place, unable to move or breathe.

Her eyes swelled with tears and she looked as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. She then turned and walked toward the door. Grabbing the knob, she paused. Now slumped to the wall with shame, he looked up with a glimmer of hope.

"Th-thank you for…" she stopped briefly when her voice cracked, "…e-everything."

He rushed toward her, but she was already gone. Another potential happiness had been shattered by his hands yet again. He immediately wondered why he did this to himself. _I'm punishing myself_, he thought. _I'm punishing myself for…_ —his eyes widened— …_things I didn't do and can't change. But this… _—he swung the door open—_I can change!_

"She was reported to be here?" the deep, quiet voice inquired.

"Yes, Kazukage-sama," Hiashi answered, still down on one knee, his fists planted against the ground and his head bowed respectfully. "So I ask of you to please send a search group around Sunakagure to help us find her."

Gaara stood, his eyebrows creased toward each other in a puzzled frown. "I would have sensed her amazing power…" he spoke out loud, mainly to himself. After a short pause, he then continued to ask, "What happened to her after she left my side? Did someone attack?" He growled just slightly. "Why didn't the men who were escorting her report anything to me?"

"Ah, s-sir," his assistant hesitated nervously, "your men n-never returned…"

"What?" Gaara exploded, turning his entire fury-filled body toward the poor, shaking man. "Why was I not told?"

"Y-you haven't a-allowed me to s-speak, s-sir…" he replied, swallowing his fear. "You s-said it reminded you of…h-her, sir…"

"When it's something _concerning_ her, those types of orders are _invalid_!" Gaara growled through clenched teeth. He sighed and closed his eyes. Bottling his emotions, he turned toward Hiashi, with the cold, unemotional face he hadn't worn since the ceremony. "I will personally lead a search group around Suna to find my Hinata-chan."


End file.
